Kids fall down go boom all the time.

A couple days ago Wendy from Famecrawler posted a story about how Christina Aguilera’s 3-year-old son had some unexplained bruises that were raising eyebrows all over the country.

Apparently some third-rate media outlet ran photos of Aguilera’s son Max with the headline:  Christina Aguilera’s Son Is Photo’d With A BLACK EYE!!!

Wendy was elaborating on how the bruises were actually caused by Max chasing a squirrel and falling down. Aguilera is understandably upset about the implication of child abuse and is considering suing the magazine.

I was going to chalk up the whole incident to shoddy tabloid-style reporting but then I got to thinking… Continue reading »

Tweet

6

Pin It

Yazmina, 2, who was slain by her father.

I’ve had a bit of trouble typing this post, because this story is truly unsettling – even more so than the tale of Lashanda Armstrong, who drove her four children into the Hudson River last month.  Like Armstrong, 24-year-old Australian Ramazan ‘Ramzy’ Acar announced that he was about to do something rash via a Facebook status update.  Unlike Armstrong, though, Acar was not a parent at the end of his rope, having been tortured by a cheating partner who was thousands of dollars behind in child support.

No, Acar was simply out to devastate the mother of his child.  He told her that he planned to take their daughter out for a treat before posting the Facebook status, “Bout 2 kill ma kid.”  And then he did exactly that. Continue reading »

Tweet

2

Pin It

A Massachusetts man has been busted for trying to trade his infant daughter for 2 40 oz beers. That’s some pretty irresponsible parenting right there.

We were talking last month about what will get the attention of the child protective services. This. This will totally do it. The state has the little girl in custody while they figure out what is going with her parents.

So actually trying to give your kid to a stranger is clearly wrong, but we’ve all thought about it, right? Continue reading »

Tweet

0

Pin It

Claudia Garza as a child. Photo via CNN.

We’ve already talked about how fat kids are more likely to get bullied at school just because they’re fat, but what about kids who get picked on by their parents? According to CNN, “A 2006 study published in Obesity found that 72 percent of nearly 2,500 overweight and obese women had been stigmatized by family members because of their weight.” What happens to children who are made fun of for their weight by the very same people feeding them?

Mandy Perryman, a counselor at Lynchburg College in VA, says, “If there’s criticizing among family members, emphasis on dieting, putting people down, kids internalize that.” Which leads to emotional eating, of course.

Claudia Garza, who shared her story with CNN, says her parents called her a “fat slob” and “gordita” and told her to “eat only half” at mealtime. How aggravating and confusing, to be told by your parents to eat only half the amount of food they laid in front of you. That’s like being given three assignments by your boss and then being told to complete only one and do the other half-heartedly. It just doesn’t make sense, and feels like a trick.

When I was little – in the 80′s – portion control was a far off notion, familiar only to leotard-clad ladies who liked to jazzercise and eat cottage cheese for lunch. I was always told as a kid to clean my plate, but then as a teen I was criticized for my fat thighs. By the time I got into college for musical theatre, my Dad would often say things like, “How are you gonna be a choreographer if you’re fat?” And then take me out for ice cream.  (I’m not sure why he thought I wanted to be a choreographer.  Maybe it was the way I danced every time we ordered pizza.)

The thing is, I wasn’t obese. I was chubby at best. But young women have distorted body images, and to be told by your father – the man who is supposed to see you as beautiful no matter what – that you’ll never do something because of the way you look is disheartening to say the least. The irony is, my father was fat. And my mother and grandmother. I come from a long line of fat women. (Well, more like a short, wide line, really.) And when a tendency to be overweight runs in the family, your parents just want to protect you from their fate. Unfortunately, misguided attempts at threatening kids into being thin don’t work when you’re wagging your finger with one hand and making five-cheese lasagna with the other. Continue reading »

Tweet

0

Pin It

Recent studies have shown that most parents have turned away from corporal punishment as a way to discipline their children.  Sadly, many schools have not.  In 20 states, public school students continue to be hit by their teachers for offenses big and small.  But now, for the first time in 18 years, Congress is talking about the use of corporal punishment in schools and considering outlawing the practice.

Corporal punishment is defined by the National Association of School Nurses as “the intentional infliction of physical pain as a method of changing behavior. It may include methods such as hitting, slapping, punching, kicking, pinching, shaking, use of various objects (paddles, belts, sticks, or others), or painful body postures.”

If that description makes you cringe, it should.  Even incarcerated criminals are protected by law from being physically abused by those in a position of authority over them.  But for many of our kids, there is no such protection.  According to a report by the U.S Department of Education, over 200,000 students were victims of corporal punishment in U.S. public schools during the 2006-2007 school year.

Not only do we treat children worse than criminals when it comes to legalized physical assault, we pretty much stand alone in doing so.  102 countries, including Canada, Australia, Europe and the UK, have outlawed corporal punishment in schools.  And the list of organizations who oppose it in the U.S. is long and includes the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The reason other countries have outlawed it and experts oppose it is because it is just plain wrong.  The American Psychological Association says corporal punishment may do far more than inflict physical pain.  It may lower self-esteem, instill hostility and teach children that physical violence is a acceptable problem-solving tool.

So, wouldn’t you agree that it is time to put an end to this barbaric practice?  If you are not sure, check out The Center for Effective Discipline for more information.  And take note:  In a few weeks, New York State Representative Carolyn McCarthy will introduce a bill banning corporal punishment in U.S. Schools.  Let your state representative know how you feel.

Image: Jason O’Halloran/Flickr

Tweet

0

Pin It

A court has ruled three police officers innocent of using excessive force after they Tasered a visibly pregnant woman pulled over for a speeding ticket.

Run that by me again? What is it about “shooting electricity into a fetus” that sounds reasonable? Continue reading »

Tweet

14

Pin It

Last week on Babble, Shannon Rassmussen told us how to get and keep a quality babysitter. But what happens if the person you’ve already hired turns out not to be the person you thought they were?

Over at Motherlode, an anonymous mom tells her story: Her beloved nanny, described as a selfless young woman who is unusually skilled with children, is suspected of feeding the kids — one three, the other 16 months — Benadryl every day at nap time. The nanny has been fired, but the mom wonders if she’s got a responsibility to the nanny’s next family:

Continue reading »

Tweet

14

Pin It